Michelle was quick to redress herself before joining Satan and Crystal downstairs, volunteering to help clean up what had been left after dinner. "I really wish I was allowed to talk around him," she said as she started washing the plates and silverware. "It would make my job ten times easier."
"That's what you think, kid." Satan sat another pile of plates next to the sink before he turned to the girl. "It's bad enough that you can speak to him through your mind. As long as you have these powers, he'll never realize you're still able to be manipulated."
Crystal wiped down the table with one of her white washcloths. "Why is it so bad for Michelle to talk to him? It's not like there's any problem with it, is there?"
"Michelle is the Chosen One, dear. As long as she's alive, she will always be in danger of Adrian."
"Why just Adrian? Your other two sons can be just as manipulating . . . and Cassius can be just as deadly."
Satan sighed and Michelle knew he was going to tell Crystal the entire truth. "If Adrian finds out he can manipulate Michelle, he will make her tell the whole truth about his defeat and if he finds that out . . . Michelle is as good as dead." He turned to Michelle. "How much does he know about that night, kid?"
She gently placed the clean plates up into a cupboard. "He knows I was the reason he was defeated . . . because I took back the Hand of Lucifer."
Crystal turned to the girl. "He doesn't know it was your idea to give Nicky the orb? Does he know it was you who was protecting Nicky the entire time while you left him completely unguarded?"
When Michelle shook her head, Satan sighed and put the silverware away. "Well, let's keep it that way. There's some other things Adrian doesn't know and he doesn't need to know, so . . . let's keep it that way."
Michelle rinsed the wine glasses and had just finished placing them gently in their proper place when she sensed a dark aura approaching the room. He's coming downstairs, she warned Satan.
Satan merely nodded and acted a bit surprised when his eldest son entered the room. "Hello, son."
"Adrian, dear, I hope you're getting along?" pressed Crystal anxiously, her brow furrowed. Adrian smiled charmingly, and though Crystal relaxed, Satan recoiled in his seat. He could recognize his son's deviant smile from miles away, and he couldn't help but be frightened.
"Perfectly. Now, if you'll excuse me, mother-in-law, I really am very tired; the altitude makes me quite faint, I'm afraid. I will have to lie down for a while, if I am to be of any use tomorrow." With this, he bowed politely and left the room. Crystal looked very pleased, to Satan's despair and to Michelle's delight. She would be easy to manipulate around with Adrian's charm.
"Well!"
Satan was not sure of what to say. Adrian was certainly the cleverest of his three sons, but was also the craftiest. When Adrian vomited up flattery and charm, he was typically up to something. Satan quickly excused himself and followed his son up the stairs with Michelle close to his heels.
When he opened the door, he could see Adrian seated in a white chair in the corner of the room, leaning forward with his hands on his knees and his fingers steepled. Satan took a few cautious steps forward, not liking the glitter in his son's gray eyes. Michelle entered the room and leaned casually against one of the walls to watch what she knew would be an interesting discussion.
"I don't know what you're up to, Adrian, but you had better not be scheming anything. There's no way you're getting out of this, and there's no way you're getting the throne, so you had better accept your new life and move on. Maybe, maybe if you've learned a little more about balance and respect, you might reach the throne one day, but that's going to be a long time from now."
To his unpleasant surprise, Adrian laughed darkly. "The throne? Oh, please, father, we both know you don't have any choice but to give it to me. You're not going to live forever, as far as I know you haven't popped out any new children, and Cassius and Nicky are unfit to rule Hell. The question isn't whether or not I'm getting the throne, it's when I'm getting the throne. I could wait till you give it to me...or I could demolish you sometime in the near future and take what is rightfully mine. As of right now, I am focusing on my new fiance and my future torture on Earth. You can sleep easy, old man, I've got more on my mind than your well-being."
Satan was surprised with Adrian's honesty, but didn't let his guard down; he decided to spend that night sleepless, perhaps admiring the multitude of brilliant galaxies adorning the sky above the balcony. Casting a suspicious glance behind him to his eldest son, he left the room.
Adrian almost smiled. It was too easy.
First, he had to cooperate with his father's plan and marry this horror. He could enjoy the privileges of married life for a few weeks, specifically during their honeymoon, and perhaps let her settle into a suburban setting, making friends and tending a home while he could quietly corrupt their neighbors and random passerby of course. Getting a job would be simple; with his talent in mind-control and the horribly twisted cogs cranking the business world, he should fit right in. He might be more of a success than imaginable.
When all had quieted and suspicions had faded, he would move into action. The first to go was Cassius; during their first visit to Hell he would have to steal the flask (no easy task, as it was most heavily guarded) and replace it with a fake. He would keep the flask in a safe place, biding his time until the opportunity arose.
He would then find Nicky, and trap him in the flask. His wife's life may be spared, but Zachariah could be trouble in the future. Adrian doubted that the young child could return from Hell back to earth, so once killed he wouldn't be of any worry. Valarie could stay alive, if she wished; she was too powerless to stop him without the help of Nicky (not that Nicky had a chance to start with, Adrian wouldn't be caught like that again).
With Nicky and Cassius in the flask, he would destroy it, which should (according to the Devil's Bible) destroy the souls inside (or lack thereof). His greatest competition would be obliterated, and only Adrian would be left for the throne. With his two brothers dead, he would return to Hell and command those faithful to him to prove their worth and unseat the Prince of Darkness, at which point the demons, of which the majority Adrian safely claimed support, would overpower his father's armies and Adrian could ascend to the throne.
However, before any of this plan was to go into action, he had to find out the entire truth from Michelle. He glanced over at Michelle, who was watching his face intently as if trying to know his thoughts. He had sensed she had not been entirely honest with him before and the small bit of conversation he had caught between Satan, Crystal, and Michelle confirmed it. There was something no one had told him and apparently no one believed he needed to know what had happened. He loved Michelle, but if she had betrayed him . . . there was no telling what he might do. He was normally quite calm, but if the one person he had loved so dearly had betrayed him, his temper would flare terribly and his action toward the woman would be uncontrollable.
Adrian didn't dare write anything down, or even speak aloud, for fear his father might hear him. No one alive could know of this wicked plans, least of all his fiance. Adrian winced. She would probably be very difficult to worm around, but it wouldn't be impossible. As an angel, she was naturally trusting, and as the Son of the Devil, he was naturally stealthy. The plan was completely flawless.
Michelle quietly laid in bed next to Adrian, listening to his steady heartbeat as she thought about her past. Everything had been perfect until Satan decided she and Adrian could not wed. She was eighteen now and, even with angel and demon blood running through her veins, there was no possible way she would live to the next ten thousandth year when Satan would most likely give Adrian the throne. She could not make Adrian live with her as she aged and died in his arms, that was too selfish a thought.
Michelle closed her eyes as she remembered the events which had taken place that day.
"Adrian, what are you doing?" she asked after he had publicly announced Nicky had murdered hundreds of people after a basketball game. "Nicky didn't kill anyone."
"I know he didn't and you know he didn't . . . but they don't know that." Adrian smiled wickedly as he swallowed another drop of Peppermint Schnapps. "We need to keep Nicky out of our hair if we're going to rule over Hell on Earth, my dear."
"Adrian, all I ever wanted was to be married," Michelle told him. "I didn't want to be the ruler of anything. I didn't want to cause all of this chaos and destruction."
Adrian placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Michelle, but this is the only way you and I will ever be able to be wed." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm doing this entirely for us, my dear, and soon we will wed and become the first King and Queen of Darkness."
Michelle smiled weakly when suddenly her cell phone began to ring. "Excuse me for a moment." She backed off from Adrian so she could find a little peace and quiet while she spoke on the phone. "Hello, this is Michelle."
"Michelle, honey, this is your mom." Michelle was relieved to hear her mother's voice on the phone. "I need you to go to the post office across the street so I can bring you here without Adrian noticing, okay?"
"Alright, Mom. I'll see you soon. G'bye." Michelle hung up her phone and turned to Adrian. "Hon, I have to across the street to meet with my mom. I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"
"Alright, love." Adrian gently kissed her lips. "I'll see you when you get back."
As soon as she was sure Adrian was no longer watching, Michelle high-tailed it across the street into the abandoned post office. Once the door had shut, a bright light flashed around her and suddenly, Michelle was standing in her mother's room. "Mom?"
"I'm right here, honey."
Michelle turned around to find Holly as well as a tall blond angel whom she had never met before. "Michelle, this is Elaina, the leader of the angel high council. She . . . is here to condemn you."
"Condemn me?!?"
"For your sins," said Elaina, her face completely solemn. "You have been aiding in the spawn of Satan's attempt to create a Hell on Earth and you must pay for that sin."
"Wait!" Michelle fell to her knees, grasping the leader's robes firmly but gently. "Is there some way . . . some possible thing I could do to regain my soul? Is there some way to remove this . . . this condemnation?"
Elaina looked down at the poor girl and a small hint of sympathy washed over her. "Please rise, child. I shall give you one chance at redemption and, if you should fail due to your own personal feelings and emotions, you will lose your soul to Satan for eternity. Do you understand?"
Michelle rose to her feet, her head hung low. "I understand, your Grace."
"Normally, under the circumstances you and your lover have created, we would have no choice but to kill the both of you . . ." she began. When she saw Michelle's frightened expression, she quickly added, "However, since there are future events which prevent the execution, we must simply capture Adrian in the flask."
"That won't be too difficult . . . will it?" Michelle asked her.
She nodded. "As long as you retrieve the medallion from Adrian and decide the best way to defeat him, he will be a less challenging foe for Nicky to defeat."
"Decide the best way to defeat him? I have to be his undoing?"
She held up three mystical orbs surrounded in a powerful blue glow. "You are the closest person to Adrian, so you would know the best out of these three selections would be the best obstacle to defeat him."
"But . . . "
"I'm sorry, Michelle, but you have no choice if you want to regain your soul. It's not like you're deciding how we will execute Adrian, which is what we will have to do if you decide not to do as we've asked."
Michelle swallowed a deep breath air as she glanced deep inside each glowing orb. Any one of them could be the utter defeat of the man she loved, and she was the one who had to choose it for him. With a painful wrench in her heart, Michelle pointed out the orb with the most powerful capability of causing critical damage to Adrian without totally killing him. "That one, Elaina."
"Very good, Michelle. Now, we'll be sending you back to Earth so you can take back the Hand of Lucifer. I am giving you this, the Atlantean Dagger. It is the only weapon which can kill a demon."
"I've heard about this weapon, your Grace." Michelle took the weapon carefully, making sure not to touch the blade. "This is the weapon which causes suffering to death for every sin an individual performs during their lifetime. Each Atlantean Dagger is created for a specific individual, correct?"
"Yes. That one is Adrian's dagger, should he suspect you are betraying him. Good luck on your mission, Chosen One, and may you and Adrian be together again some day." Elaina and Holly waved as they gently set Michelle back down on Earth where they had picked her up.
Tucking the Atlantean Dagger in the holster which had appeared under her skirt, Michelle ran back over to the police station where Adrian was possessing the police chief. "Hello, darling." He kissed her forehead as she gave him a small hug. "How was your visit with your mother?"
"It was . . . pleasant," Michelle lied through her teeth. "She sends her love to the man who's captured my heart." She placed a kiss on his lips, knowing if he found out what she did one day, he would feel the kiss to be venomous and he would never forgive her.
Adrian lay still next to Michelle, enjoying the sound of her even breathing as he thought about the past. After all, if it weren't for his ignorant father, he and Michelle would have been married two years ago and the first King and Queen of Darkness. Then, everything wouldn't be confusing and they both would be happy . . . wouldn't they?
He rolled over onto his side and watched Michelle's sleeping figure. Since he had been released from the flask, he hadn't heard Michelle say even once she loved him. The thought she might no longer love him crossed Adrian's mind for a second before he shook his head. Of course Michelle still loved him. After all, look at all she had done to make sure he could be happy even though she couldn't be. No one had ever done anything like that for him, not even his own father would have bargained his soul for his son's freedom.
Adrian gently pulled a lock of hair out of Michelle's face as he watched her sleep. She was absolutely breath-takingly beautiful whenever she was asleep, for that was when the troubles of the day didn't bother her and attack her frowning brow. He gently ran his long finger over her eyebrow, then slowly ran it over her cheekbone. She sighed at his touch and he instantly grew hard. Damn, that woman was sexy! He leaned in closer and gently pressed his lips to hers. She immediately responded, opening her mouth and running her tongue over his bottom lip.
Her eyes fluttered open for a moment, as if to make sure she was kissing the right person, then closed again as she smiled and deepened the kiss. I thought it was you, darling.
Adrian chuckled as he pulled Michelle on top of him. And what if it wasn't me who had kissed you like that?
Then I would have had to kick your dad's ass for sneaking in here and doing that to me when he has other women on his mind.
Adrian pulled back in surprise. Other women? What other women?
Oh, come on! Michelle rolled her eyes back and laughed in her head as her famous smile appeared on her face. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how Satan looks at Crystal. Those two are absolutely in love . . . just like . . . us. She let that course through her mind a moment. Adrian, could we use that to our advantage?
Adrian wrapped one of his arms loosely around her as he thought about it. Possibly, love. It will be a tad difficult, but maybe we can work their relationship to our advantage, love. He gently kissed her lips. We'll be able to persuade the two of them to end the marriage and have one of their own, therefore pleasing the treaty and ending the battles.
Michelle smiled coyly. Right now I feel like pleasing just you. She leaned in and kissed Adrian hungrily, moving her hands across his chest as she mated her tongue with his. Adrian smiled as he moved his hands over her skin and grabbed her rump greedily, pulling her heat against his length. Oh, god, Adrian. I need you . . .
I need you more than I need my life, love. Adrian pressed featherlight kisses on her check and jaw before licking, nibbling, and suckling on the soft skin of her neck all the way down to her shoulder. He gently licked all the way down her collarbone to the small indent at the base of her neck, which made her shiver. I would give up everything, my life, my throne, everything . . . if it meant I could have you, love.
Michelle felt tears coming to her eyes as Adrian made his way down her body. He would give up everything to be with her, just as she had just for him to be happy without her. How would their situation ever work if they were giving everything up for different possibilities? Her thoughts were scattered the moment Adrian nipped her nipple a little harder than expected. Adrian!
Sorry. Adrian sucked the bud back into his mouth and ran his tongue over it before suckling, running his hand down her smooth back. He growled deep in his throat as Michelle moved her hand down and wrapped it against his manhood, pumping it slowly. Love, I don't believe that to be the best thing to do so early on.
I do if I plan on pleasuring you over and over again. Michelle buried her face in his hair as he suckled at her other breast hungrily, making her move her hand faster and harder. Oh, god, Adrian, that feels amazing . . . Adrian! Michelle gasped as his sharp teeth grazed her hard nipple, making her squeeze his manhood a tad tighter.
Michelle, love, I'm not going to be able to hold back much longer! Adrian gritted his teeth as he felt him growing closer to orgasm. He flipped her over and began kissing down her stomach to her most sensitive area, where he kissed around her clitoris.
Adrian, please! Michelle was so close to orgasm, her toes were starting to curl. Please, enter me now!
Adrian merely smiled as he thrust his tongue as deep inside her as he could reach. Michelle bucked uncontrollably against Adrian's mouth as he moved his tongue in and out of her while his thumb rubbed her clitoris. Adrian! Michelle managed to gasp. ENTER ME NOW!
Adrian chuckled slightly as he rose and slowly pushed his manhood deep inside her heat, making him grow even harder. He moaned slightly as he moved inside Michelle slow and easy, making her even more anxious. It feels so good to be inside you, love.
Michelle moaned softly as she rubbed against his penis, making him move to her rhythm. Harder, Adrian, faster. She thought to him tenderly as he picked up speed and began hitting into her harder. Oh, Adrian! She screamed the words in her head as she came hard and held Adrian close to her body. Adrian continued thrusting until he could no longer hold back and he came, too, almost letting out a growl that would have awakened the entire angelic chorus. He buried his face into Michelle's hair as they collapsed together onto the bed, giving each other butterfly kisses.
I love you, Michelle. Adrian gently pushed Michelle's bangs out of her face as she blushed slightly. When she didn't respond, Adrian cocked his head toward her. Love, what's wrong?
I want to love you, but I can't, Adrian. That's what's wrong. Michelle looked up into his face and he could see the hurt in her eyes. I want to love you like no one else has felt love and I have to set that aside and let you marry some one who you don't love and who doesn't love you because it would not please the treaty. Why is it so wrong for us to love each other? Why can't we be like the normal people of Earth where it doesn't matter whom we love? Michelle cried softly into Adrian's chest as he held her close.
I don't know, love. He answered truthfully. All I do know is my father is going to pay dearly for what he's putting the both of us through.
Michelle sniffled. What do you mean, Adrian? You're not going to try and take over Hell again, are you? When Adrian was silent, Michelle turned away from him. It's one thing to try and end your marriage to Holly, but it's entirely different to try another hostile takeover, Adrian. I can't help you do that again.
Annoyed, Adrian flipped Michelle over so he could face her. Why the bloody hell can't you?
Because I nearly killed myself to save your ass too many times before, Michelle replied nastily. I've pretty much sold my soul to your dad and if you don't do as he says and try to take the throne by force again, I'll be sentenced to eternal damnation. I've done all this for you . . . and you're going to throw it all away to seek revenge on everyone who is at fault for your captivity? I won't risk my soul by helping you . . . not this time. Michelle rolled over again as she felt the tears begin to fall. I love you, Adrian, but I can't sacrifice that for you again. I just can't; I'm sorry.
Adrian immediately felt ashamed for what he had done. Love, I'm sorry. I don't know why I expected that from you, especially after everything you've suffered through to make me happy. Please . . . forgive me.
Michelle froze. Never before in her life had she ever heard Adrian ask anyone for forgiveness. I . . . I forgive you, Adrian. I love you too much not to. She turned slowly, then placed a delicious kiss on Adrian's lips, making him moan. I will never hurt you again . . . I promise.
She cuddled against Adrian's chest and was about to fall asleep when she heard him say, Again?